Alimony support is designed to maintain an ex-spouse in a reasonably secure financial situation until he or she can become fully self supporting. Rarely, permanent alimony may be ordered by the court. This might happen if the marriage was very long or if one spouse is significantly disabled. All states allow for some form of spousal support. However, the federal government does not require states to have specific guidelines as they must for child support. Short marriages usually do not result in ongoing alimony being granted. Neither do those in which an equitable distribution of property can adequately compensate both spouses for their contributions to the marriage. Alimony may be paid in a lump sum at the time of divorce in some cases to "even the scales". Courts have very broad discretion in awarding alimony. Because of this, the litigation over amounts and duration can be expensive and lengthy.